false 13 1157 642 true 5642887 read 14 true 1406543 currently-reading 501 true 1406542 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78425755 Asterios Polyp (Hardcover) by David Mazzucchelli
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66511317 Their Eyes Were Watching God (Hardcover) by Zora Neale Hurston
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75237386 to: Rosie (Paperback) by Anne Lamott
I read Lamott's "Operating Instructions" when my baby was a newborn. Then I read and fell in love with her "Bird by Bird". I really like Lamott's literal and bald-faced honesty; there is so much (for me) to relate to in her neuroses and human foibles, especially those that are never admitted to.

"Rosie", at the beginning, took my breath away with how much I related to its main character. A few chapters in, my interest is flagging. I think what I need is (a) more sleep, if only my child would let me, and (b) a sense of the direction of this plot.

Further "review" forthcoming.

Update 16/11/09: Okay so I'm really not liking and not getting this book. It's so disappointing. And I think I've figured out why I find it so unlikable/frustrating: After reading two of her non-fiction books, "Bird by Bird" and "Operating Instructions", I feel like I know some of what the author, Anne Lamott, is about. I know a bit of her history, I know some of the way she thinks, or at least the way she thinks on paper. And the characters of "Rosie" just feel like fragments of Lamott's own personality, her neuroses, her weaknesses, her foibles. One character is an alcoholic, one is screwed up about men, another is a neurotic writer. It's too easy, too direct a line from the writer to the personalities of her characters. I have heard that you should "write what you know", but I'm beginning to wish that I'd read at least one of Lamott's novels before getting to know her as herself. And I LOVED her non-fiction stuff; it's why I picked up a couple of her novels, wanting MORE of her stuff! I couldn't get enough of her honesty, her letting-it-all-hang-out style.

So not only do the characters feel too transparent as facets of the author's psyche, but they all read too alike, too much the same. They're meant to be different people, obviously, from different backgrounds and interests and motivations. But in dialogue, of which there is plenty, I frequently can't distinguish who's who. Even the eight-year-old from the alcoholic mother. It's driving me a bit crazy.

And the neuroses are relentless. I just finished a bit of the book where the protagonist and her best friend go on a six-hour hike. The sentences---I started to write "passages", but they're not long enough for that---the sentences that describe the transformational nature of Nature are lovely, really inspiring and evocative of natural beauty. But they're so brief, and poof! Back to negativity, complaining, neuroses. I appreciate that that's what the character is about; I get that she's not into hiking or whatever, but every time there's a scene that could potentially be calm, beautiful, or uplifting, it reverts to neurosis. Maddening. Like watching too many Woody Allen films without coming up for air.

Pop culture/literary references are another thing. I don't get them. And if, as they seem to appear, they are necessary to establishing personality and mood, then not understanding them means that I'm losing context and ambiance in the reading of this book. Also maddening. On top of this, I just don't know people who quote obscure books or movie lines like this; I've never seen it happen in real life with absolutely anyone. If just one of the characters did this, I would be able to write it off as just one of the characters who would always be a bit enigmatic to me. But it's not. It's several or many of the characters. I can look up an unusual word in a dictionary to understand it if it appears in a book; if I wanted to understand the movie/literary/musical references that frequently appear in "Rosie", I'd have to look up the quote on the internet, and then either watch the whole movie/read the whole book/read a synopsis on wikipedia to attempt to understand what Lamott's characters are talking about. And that's WAY too much effort for what feels like a pretty directionless story.

Hopefully it'll get better, but at least I feel a bit better now that I've got this frustration out of my system. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78068324 Mother, Come Home (Paperback) by Paul Hornschemeier
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78068264 The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (Paperback) by Naomi Klein
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78019568 The Lacuna: A Novel (Hardcover) by Barbara Kingsolver
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]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77847632 Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings (Paperback) by ابوالقاسم فردوسی / Abolghasem Ferdowsi
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77803838 Just Like Bossy Bear (Hardcover) by David Horvath
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]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77756881 The Good Nazi: The Life and Lies of Albert Speer (Paperback) by Dan Van Der Vat
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77756835 I Love Dirt!: 52 Projects to Help You and Your Kids Get Outside, Get Dirty, and Enjoy Nature (Paperback) by Jennifer Ward
bookshelves: currently-reading
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